


Distortion

by orphan_account



Category: BLACKPINK (Band), GOT7, Mamamoo, TWICE (Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Basketball Player Min Yoongi | Suga, Demon Mark Tuan, Established Jung Jiwoo/Kim Seokjung, Fluff, Hybrid Jeon Jungkook, I live for magic school AUs, Interspecies Relationship(s), Jokes, Light Angst, Magic AU, Magic School, Multi, Mystery, Mythology References, Roommates, Shapeshifters - Freeform, Supernatural Elements, Teen Romance, most people are gay, pop culture references
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-10-20 20:51:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17629469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: It's the start of a new year at Venus Supernatural Academy. Everything's going smoothly - students are making new friends, falling in love, and causing trouble for each other as well as the staff. But people soon start disappearing, and nobody can figure out why. A group of students, all of whom are affected by the disappearances, band together to solve the mystery and get their friends back.aka the magic school mystery au no one asked for





	1. Already Fucked Up

Jeon Jungkook sat in the back seat of his parents' car, staring out the window at the trees that lined the road. Music filled his ears, drifting through his airpods. As the song changed from  _Attention_ to  _Sorry,_ the car rounded a bend and suddenly the trees parted to reveal a large complex of rectangular white buildings on a hill. Everything was sleek and modern, gleaming in the sun. That must be his new school, he realized. Venus Supernatural Academy.

Jungkook was excited about this, really. He'd always wanted to go to a boarding school and have a roommate. He thought about the roommate he'd always imagined - a boy his age who was quiet and unobtrusive yet friendly and played Overwatch - and hoped with all his heart that he'd get paired with someone like that. 

The car stopped in front of the main building, and Jungkook's parents helped him unload his things. They walked him into the main office, where he got his dorm number and a map of the campus, and then they said goodbye and drove away. It all went strangely fast, and Jungkook stood watching his parents leave. He wanted to be here, he reminded himself.

Finally, he turned and walked in the direction of the boys' dorms, using his weak magic to make the map levitate in front of him. He dragged his suitcase behind him, and in his arms was a box full of various things. It wasn't hard to find the building he was looking for; it was located beside a triangular open space paved with smooth orange bricks and dominated by a large fountain designed to look like Venus in _The Birth of Venus,_ nude and all. Water shot up around her and arced back down into the circular pool. Jungkook stared at the fountain for a few moments before turning to the building that said _Moonbow Building_ in Korean, Japanese, and English. A smaller label beneath the larger one said _Boys' Dormitories_. Jungkook hesitantly walked inside. 

The hallway was carpeted and so was the common room, which had several couches, a TV, a pool table, and a few coffee tables. Jungkook nodded appreciatively and walked over to a large bulletin board on one wall.

 _Welcome To VSA,_ it said in big letters. Below that, _we're glad to be starting this new year!_ There was also an announcements paper, although the only things on it were another _welcome to VSA_ and a notice that information could be found in the office and that there would be a welcome assembly in the gym in an hour.

Beside the bulletin board was a map of the building, complete with each individual dorm labeled. Jungkook quickly found his - number 169 - and set off to go find it. It was a lot like a hotel, he realized. Fortunately, Jungkook was used to hotels. The atmosphere of them didn't bother him. He found his dorm quickly and went inside.

It was small, but bigger than he'd expected. Everything had a soft blue theme. There were two beds and two desks, one pair on each side of the room, and a window between them. Below the window was a small table with two small but thick books. Upon closer inspection, it became clear that they were student handbooks. Jungkook nodded appreciatively and put his things down on one of the beds. Sitting on his pillow was a royal purple uniform and a slip of paper that said _Jeon Jungkook_. The other side of the paper had the measurements he'd given when he enrolled. He decided to ignore it for now. He needed to see where things were on campus.

He turned around and found himself staring at a full-length mirror on the back of the door. He looked at his reflection for a moment, thinking about whether or not he belonged at the school. He was half human, after all, and his magic was extraordinarily weak. He wasn't sure if he could keep up. He frowned at himself. His mother was a kirin, but the only traits he'd inherited from her were her golden hair and emerald-green eyes. He hadn't even gotten her antlers.

With a sigh, Jungkook decided to leave the room. He had an hour until the assembly; there was time to go explore. He opened the door and stepped out, only to run into another boy. The boy dropped the things he was carrying and let out a yelp of surprise. His straw hat fell off his head.

"Shit, I'm so sorry," Jungkook said quickly. "Here, I'll help y-" He broke off when he saw the other boy's face. The kid was handsome, with tan skin, big eyes, long eyelashes, and a distinctive birthmark on his nose. His fluffy mop of hair was all sorts of shades of brown, looking like the fur of some kind of wild animal, and his eyes were shiny and black. A pair of rounded yet somewhat pointy ears peeked out of his hair and a fluffy tail protruded from his backside. 

"Hi," the other boy said. He smiled, revealing a rectangular grin. "Are you my new roommate? I'm Taehyung. I'm a tanuki. What are you?"

"Um, I'm half kirin," Jungkook replied. "My name's Jungkook." He helped Taehyung pick up his things and set them on the other bed. "Do you wanna come explore the campus with me? We've got time before the big assembly we have to go to."

"Yeah, sure," Taehyung said. "I love exploring. Come on, let's go!" He grinned and bounded out of the room, and Jungkook followed him. They walked side by side down the hall, and Jungkook was glad to have made a friend already. Taehyung wasn't exactly quiet and unobtrusive, but he seemed nice and had a radiant charm to him that made Jungkook instantly like him.

As they walked through the common room, they met another person. This guy was also handsome, ethereal even, and he seemed older than them, almost old enough to be in college. He wasn't carrying anything with him and was wearing the purple uniform. His hair was a light lilac gray and his eyes were vividly blue. He was tall and elegant, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Taehyung instantly approached him.

"Hi," Taehyung said. "Do you know your way around this place?"

"I do," the boy said. "I'm Kim Seokjin. Senior. Are you a freshman?"

"Yep. My name's Taehyung. Care to show my roomie and I around?"

Seokjin gave him a sweet smile. "Of course I can do that! What's your friend's name?"

"Um," Jungkook said, "hi, I'm Jungkook." He held out his hand, trying to seem polite and refined so this senior would respect him, and Seokjin instantly shook it. Jungkook noticed that his fingers were crooked. "What's wrong with your fingers?" He asked without thinking, and then he instantly realized that wasn't a good idea. Seokjin's mood changed in the blink of an eye.

"Excuse me?" He said, voice suddenly quiet. His pupils narrowed like a cat's. Jungkook wondered what Seokjin was and what he could do.

"I, um, I'm just wondering," Jungkook stammered. "I'm just curious. Uh, please don't kill me. I'm pretty sure we're not allowed to kill anyone on campus."

"That implies that he could totally just take you off campus and murder you," Taehyung pointed out.

"No, not really-"

"Yes really. Nobody ever said he can't do that."

"The _law_ says he can't do that!"

"I won't kill you," Seokjin said. "I have morals. I just want to know why you decided to just talk about my fingers like that."

"I- I just want to know what's wrong with them," Jungkook said, hoping he wasn't about to die. School hadn't even started yet and he was already on the wrong foot. 

"You're so _rude,"_ Seokjin hissed. "Didn't your parents teach you _manners?_ You don't just ask someone what's wrong with their fingers, asshole."

"I'm not an asshole," Jungkook argued. "I'm just curious."

"Jungkook, you're kinda making it worse," Taehyung said. Jungkook was well aware of that fact, but he didn't want to seem weak by backing down. He wanted to prove himself.

"You _are_ an asshole," Seokjin growled. "You're rude and insensitive." He pulled his plump lips back in a snarl, exposing sharp teeth that definitely hadn't been there when he'd smiled before. Jungkook swallowed nervously.

"I'm not."

"You are, you brat. How would _you_ feel if I asked you why you have such an ugly scar on your cheek?" His face was morphing into some sort of grotesque mix between a cat and a human. Lilac fur was now adorning his nose, which had transformed into that of a cat. His ears had moved up the sides of his head and transformed into large, pointed ones. A long-furred tail that went from pale cream to lilac was now lashing behind him. His hair seemed to be fluffed up. His hands, while still human in shape, were covered in lilac fur and his fingernails had lengthened into sharp claws. It was all a strange, horrifying sight.

"I just asked a question!" Jungkook cried. "Why are you trying to fight me?"

"I'm not trying to fight you," Seokjin snapped. "I'm just trying to tell you off for being such a piece of shi- _hey!"_ He whirled around to face Taehyung, who had run a hand along his silky tail. Crooked, clawed fingers slashed at Taehyung's face, and the claws only missed because Taehyung transformed into a raccoon dog. He really _was_ a tanuki.

Taehyung grabbed the leg of Seokjin's pants in his mouth and tugged in an almost playful way. He must have accidentally bitten the older boy, though, because Seokjin let out a screech of alarm and transformed fully into an elegant longhaired colorpoint cat. He swiped a paw at Taehyung, who jumped back and gave the least intimidating growl Jungkook had ever heard.

Suddenly, Taehyung transformed into a black bear. Seokjin hissed and arched his back. His fur was now standing on end and his pupils were dilated. He suddenly looked a lot less tough and a lot more frightened. Taehyung chased him into a corner, although that chase didn't seem particularly threatening to Jungkook, and Jungkook hoped they wouldn't hurt each other. His hopes were dashed, though, because Taehyung transformed back into tanuki form with a yelp and Seokjin darted past him and toward the door. He turned into a human, opened the door, and started running. Taehyung, whose snout was now bleeding, turned back into a bear and charged after him, slamming the door open effortlessly. Jungkook followed, glad his kirin ancestry had gifted him with light feet. Most of the people outside either fled or watched in horror. A couple people pulled out their phones and started filming.

"Hey," Taehyung yelled. "Come back!" 

Seokjin didn't come back, of course. He darted across the fountain plaza and scrambled up a tree on the grassy area just beyond it. Taehyung, still in black bear form, easily climbed up after him, following a terrified Seokjin out onto a long, narrow branch. 

Naturally, the branch snapped, sending Seokjin and Taehyung tumbling to the ground. Taehyung became a paper crane, fluttering safely to the ground, and then he transformed into a tanuki again and took off after Seokjin. The cat raced around the girls' dorm building and scampered up the fire escape on the back until he reached the topmost level. Then he jumped to a tree, only barely making the leap, and scrambled up until he could safely jump onto the roof of the building. He raced over to where a couple power lines were connected to the building and hopped onto one of the wires, hurrying across like a tightrope walker. Jungkook wondered if he had the common sense to avoid touching anything that wasn't properly insulated, but he didn't have to wonder for long because Seokjin leaped from the power line to a narrow ledge outside a window on the main building's third floor. He crouched there, watching Taehyung and Jungkook. Taehyung turned back into a human.

"Wow," he said. "School hasn't even started yet and we've already fucked up. I'm sorry, Seokjin-ssi," he added, yelling to make sure the cat heard him. "I just wanted to be friends! Problem was you were being all aggressive toward my friend, so first I tried to pet you to calm you down, y'know?" When Seokjin didn't respond, he continued talking. "So then I tried to charm you with my cuteness and that didn't work because I accidentally bit you, so I tried playing with you to show that I'm a nice guy, but then you ran away so I followed. Sorry if I scared you!"

"I'm sorry too," Jungkook added. "I didn't mean to offend you. I didn't think about what I was saying. Sorry." He lowered his head in shame and remorse. Seokjin glared at them both and didn't transform or leave the ledge he was huddled on.

"We fucked up big time," Taehyung muttered.

"Yeah, no kidding," Jungkook agreed. "I feel so bad. This is my fault."

"We're both idiots. But, y'know, if we get in trouble it'll be the two of us together. We're both at fault, really. And so is Seokjin. He could've been a little more calm. Don't feel too bad. We can talk to him again once things cool down a bit."

A loudspeaker crackled to life, echoing throughout the campus. A male voice told everyone to go to the gym for the welcome assembly, and Jungkook and Taehyung began to quietly make their way down the fire escape, leaving Seokjin behind on the ledge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seokjin is a lilac-point Balinese, if anyone's wondering  
> also yes that chase scene is important to the plot


	2. The Assembly

Moon Byulyi knew exactly what to expect from the assembly. She was in her senior year, after all. She'd already experienced this three times. She knew the freshman boys would stare at her. That happened every year. She was a unicorn, after all, although she preferred to stay in her humanoid form. Even in that form, she had pale, shimmery skin and flowing silver hair that changed colors in the light and a shimmering white horn that sprouted from her forehead. So yeah, every straight boy in the school gawked at her. Byulyi wasn't attracted to any of them, but she tried to be friendly toward them at the very least.

She walked into the gym and glanced around, looking for her friends. Sandeul and Baro, two brothers whose names were actually Junghwan and Sunwoo, had moved out of the country and were now living in Greece, so they wouldn't be there for their last year of high school. Hani wouldn't be there either, since she'd been expelled last year for drawing a mustache - in Sharpie, no less - on the Venus fountain. Byulyi missed them already, but at least they had their group chat. And, fortunately, Seokjin and Jaehwan were still around. 

"Hey, Byul," a voice called. Byulyi turned to see Jaehwan jogging over to her. "Long time no see!"

"It's literally only been a few months," Byulyi replied with a laugh. She playfully shoved Jaehwan, who smacked her on the head in return and then winked. He was tall and handsome for an imp, and his pink-tinted skin practically glowed under the bright gym lights. His hair, a vibrant scarlet, looked extra soft. Was he using a new conditioner? Byulyi decided it didn't matter. Her hair was already soft enough.

"There's a new teacher, I think," Jaehwan said as the two of them took a seat on the bleachers. "He was talking to Mr. Kwon a moment ago." He pointed at where their principal, Kwon Jiyong, was standing. Sure enough, beside him was a handsome yet nervous-looking young man in a neatly-ironed white shirt and gray slacks. He looked human aside from his glowing red eyes. Something about him captivated Byulyi to the point where she almost couldn't look away.

She _could_ look away, though, when a girl with dazzling orange hair and feathered wings and a matching glow around her walked in. She looked proud and regal but a little nervous at the same time, and she was absolutely gorgeous. Byulyi's breath caught in her throat. The girl looked around, making eye contact with Byulyi for a second, and then she was lost behind a group of tall boys. Byulyi looked around for her, but then two freshmen came and sat down and distracted her. The freshmen in question were both boys, one of whom was clearly a tanuki. She couldn't tell what the other one was, but they had decided to sit right next to her. Interestingly, the tanuki kid had a couple bleeding scratches on his nose as well as a few that were only a hair away from bleeding.

"Hey," Jaehwan said. "You guys are new here, I guess?"

"Yeah," the tanuki said. "Um, would you mind pretending we're your friends? We kinda... chased some senior around and caused a scene and I'm pretty sure we're gonna get in trouble."

"Oh, so you guys are the ones who were chasing Seokjin across the plaza. That was so fucking funny," he added. "I filmed it. You didn't hurt him, right?"

"No. We scared him pretty badly, though. Is he your friend?"

"Yeah," Byulyi replied. "Why were you guys chasing him?"

"Uh, long story," the golden-haired boy mumbled.

"He was kinda threatening Jungkook," the tanuki said at the same time. "Like, getting all up in his face and being like, 'hey, you're a fucking asshole, bitch, fuck you.' And he started transforming into a cat, but, like, slowly. I've never seen anyone transform like that before. Usually it's just _poof,_ you know? And he did transform quickly when I accidentally bit his leg, but before that it was just this weird slow morph and it was the absolute freakiest thing."

"Oh, yeah, that happens when he loses control of his emotions," Jaehwan explained. "All you have to do is just tap him on the nose with two fingers and he'll automatically revert to full cat form. Or you can pinch the back of his neck and that'll sort of sedate him, but that's hard when he's in human form. You know how if you hold a cat by the scruff of its neck it's easier to trim its claws? It's just like that. Don't trim his claws, though. That's just weird. Imagine if someone walked up to you and just started cutting your nails. He'd probably scratch you because he's a _strong independent fluffball and he don't need no owner._ Seriously, though, Byulyi's more dangerous than Seokjin as long as you don't do something really bad."

"What?" Byulyi asked him. "You think _I'm_ the more dangerous one? Jin has _teeth_ and _claws,_ Jaehwan!"

"Jin's all bark and no bite," Jaehwan argued. "Or all meow and no bite, I guess. Yeah, he's got claws and teeth, but you literally have a giant fucking horn on your head. Plus your magic is stronger than his. You're physically stronger, too."

"I'm a pacifist, though."

Jaehwan opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by Mr. Kwon greeting everyone. "Welcome, students," the principal called. "Welcome to another great year at Venus Supernatural Academy! Now, before I start my speech, I'd like to talk about the little... _incident_ we had a few minutes ago. Several students and one teacher witnessed someone who seemed to be a tanuki chasing one of our top students across the fountain plaza. I'd like to talk to everyone involved after this assembly ends and everyone should know that that kind of behavior is _not_ allowed. Anyway, we have a new teacher joining us this year. Everyone, this is Mr. Jin." He motioned at the new teacher, who smiled and waved at everyone. Several people smiled and waved back. Most just stared in awe.

Byulyi tuned out once Mr. Kwon started giving his yearly speech. She'd heard this three times already. Instead, she focused on the two freshmen. The tanuki looked like he was trying to hide how nervous he was, and the other kid - Jungkook? - was fidgeting with the hem of his white t-shirt.

"Do you think I'll get expelled?" The tanuki whispered. "The whole chase thing was an attempt to get him to just talk to us instead of running away from me. Maybe bear form wasn't the right way to do it."

"Of course it wasn't," Byulyi replied. "Imagine being chased down by a _bear_. That would be _terrifying,_ especially if you're in a small form."

"I guess so. How much trouble will I be in?"

"Since you're a freshman and school hasn't even started yet, you'll probably just get a serious scolding. Seokjin _miiight_ not forgive you so quickly. You probably hurt his pride. And... you said he was threatening your friend, didn't you? What'd you do to get him to threaten you? Jin's an absolute _angel."_

"I, uh, asked him what was wrong with his fingers," Maybe-Jungkook mumbled. "I guess he didn't like that."

"Of course he didn't," Byulyi replied. "He's a really sensitive guy and he hates his fingers. He gets all defensive when people mention them because he's insecure."

"I didn't know cats could _be_ insecure."

"They can, and Jin is probably the best example ever. Like, he's prideful, but there are certain things he hates about himself. Like his fingers."

"Oh. Can you tell him I'm sorry?"

"Yeah. I can do that for you." She smiled at the boy, and a look of relief spread over his face. 

"Thanks," he said. Byulyi shrugged, letting him know it was no big deal. 

Mr. Kwon was talking about how the uniforms and student handbooks were in the dorms when suddenly the door to the gym slammed open so hard it hit the wall with a reverberating _bang_. Seokjin raced inside, in his emotion-fueled half-cat form, and sprinted over to Mr. Kwon. He looked terrified, all wide eyes and fluffed out tail and hair standing on end, and at first he was too out of breath to speak.

"Sir," he gasped. "Sir..." He broke off, gasping for breath, and then continued. "Outside, sir, there's a change-"

Mr. Kwon sighed and all but rolled his eyes. "Seokjin, calm down," he said, exasperation clear in his voice. "It's nothing, understand? We've been over this. _Every time_ this happens it's a minor earthquake or a change in the weather. Why were you even outside in the first place? The assembly-"

"These two assholes chased me around and I didn't want to be in the same room as them so I stayed outside and- and now something's off and-"

 _"Seokjin,"_ Mr. Kwon snapped. "Get ahold of yourself. You're just sensing an imminent earthquake or a change in the air pressure, just like always. Nobody else does this, you know. You're-"

"I'm the only magical cat here," Seokjin interrupted. "Of _course_ nobody else does it!"

"There are a few dogs, Seokjin."

"Dogs aren't as good at recognizing things like this!"

"Hey," somebody yelled from the crowd. "Watch your mouth!"

"Look, Seokjin, this isn't a big deal," Mr. Kwon said. "It never is. You're interrupting the assembly and embarrassing yourself. Go sit down."

"Sir, this is different," Seokjin insisted. "I swear, something's not right-"

 _"Seokjin._ Go sit down. _Now."_ He pointed at the bleachers and Seokjin opened his mouth to argue. Mr. Kwon kept pointing, snapping his fingers for added emphasis. _"Now."_

Seokjin nodded and slunk up to where Byulyi and Jaehwan were sitting. Jaehwan scooted over, and Seokjin flopped down between him and Byulyi. He buried his face in his hands and stifled a sob. Byulyi reached over to gently stroke his hair.

"It's okay, Jin," she murmured. "It's okay. Breathe. You're safe."

"There really is something wrong," Seokjin sobbed. "Really, I swear!"

Byulyi, like everyone else, didn't believe him. This happened all the time, after all, and it was always something like a change in air pressure or ambient magic or maybe a minor earthquake. She didn't refrain from comforting him, though. "Oh, Jinnie, it's okay," she murmured, still running a hand through his hair. Jaehwan smoothed a hand down his back, over and over again.

"I promise nothing's wrong," the imp said softly. "It's probably just a change in-"

"No," Seokjin snapped, jerking his head up to glare at Jaehwan. "No, it's _not!_ Something's _wrong!_ Why won't anyone believe me?!" He jumped up, and Byulyi wrapped her arms around his waist. In response, though, Seokjin turned fully into a cat and tried to wriggle away, but Jaehwan grabbed him and Byulyi gripped the scruff of his neck. After a moment, he stopped flailing wildly.

"Everything's okay," Jaehwan reassured him. "The world isn't about to end. We're okay, you're okay, nobody's dying, it's all okay. Everything's fine, Jin-ah. Don't be scared. Everything's fine."

"He's kinda like Chicken Little," Maybe-Jungkook commented.

"You really have no brain-to-mouth filter, huh?" The tanuki replied. 

"Guess so."

Byulyi and Jaehwan kept comforting Seokjin, and as the assembly ended Byulyi found herself staring at the pretty orange girl again. God, she was beautiful. Was she a freshman? She didn't look like a freshman. Maybe she'd transferred to VSA.

"Byul, c'mon, we're going outside," Jaehwan said. Byulyi turned to look at him, and when she looked back the orange girl had been concealed by the crowd again.


	3. He's Just Crazy, Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> namjin

As he walked out of the gym with his new roommate and said roommate's friends, Kim Namjoon felt a chill run down his spine. He'd just transferred to the school and something weird had already happened. That kid - Seokjin - who had interrupted the assembly had left him feeling deeply disturbed in a way he couldn't really place. He'd seemed so afraid, like something was really wrong, and it was frightening. 

"Do you guys think that guy was right?" He asked slowly.

"Was he right?" His roommate - Jackson - echoed. "No. That kind of thing happens all the time. All he's predicting is a change in the weather or an earthquake. Trust me, Namjoon, you don't want to believe him. If you did, you'd be so paranoid you'd never go outside."

"Seokjin's batshit insane," Jaebum agreed. "I think he might have some kind of psychosis disorder or something. Or maybe it's like- have you ever had a cat?"

"Yeah, when I was younger."

"You know how sometimes they'll just randomly get up at 3 AM and just sprint across the house for no reason and wake you up? Maybe Seokjin's just doing that and he yells and makes a fuss about everything because everyone's already awake."

Jackson and Jeongyeon laughed along with Jaebum at that, but Namjoon stayed silent. Something was gnawing at him, a feeling that maybe Seokjin wasn't as crazy as he seemed. He glanced at the fountain as they passed it, watching the sunlight sparkling on the arching water and making small, ever-changing rainbows dance on the ground. 

It was beautiful, but it wasn't enough to help Namjoon shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

_____

Later that evening, after most people had already finished getting ready for bed, Namjoon went to go take a shower. He wasn't thinking about the assembly or Seokjin, but he _was_ anxious about attending boarding school. _The first night will be the hardest_ , he told himself as he walked down the hall, clothes and shampoo bundled in a towel in his arms. _The first night's always the hardest_. 

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he failed to notice the other person walking in his direction until they collided with one another. Namjoon fell on his ass, dropping his armload of things. The other guy didn't fall but dropped his own things as well and let out a startled yelp. Namjoon made the mistake of looking up, and as soon as he did his breath caught in his throat. The boy looking down at him was absolutely _ethereal_. His skin was smooth and his lips were full and pink. His damp hair was a pinkish-grayish-brownish color Namjoon couldn't quite describe, and he had piercing sapphire eyes. Staring up at this boy, Namjoon wondered if he was dead because there was no way someone so beautiful wasn't an angel. He must have muttered that out loud, too, because the boy said _what?_ and snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Huh?" Namjoon asked. "Can you repeat that?" He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"I was wondering what you just said," the boy replied. His voice made Namjoon come to a sudden realization.

"You're Seokjin," he said. "From the assembly."

"Well, I prefer just Seokjin, but I guess Seokjin-From-The-Assembly is fine too," Seokjin said with a laugh. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, I'm fine," Namjoon stammered. He wasn't _really_ fine, because Seokjin was just so damn _pretty_ and it was really fucking up his brain, but he was physically okay and that was probably what the question meant. "I'm sorry for not recognizing you," he said quickly, feeling kind of bad for not instantly recognizing someone with such an outstanding face. "It's just- different form, you know?"

"Oh, yeah, I understand," Seokjin replied. He was smiling now, and Namjoon thought it really suited him. It was such a cute smile, after all. He really didn't seem particularly crazy. Actually, if Namjoon was being completely honest, he seemed totally normal.

"Yeah, so, um- sorry about this. It's my fault, I wasn't looking where I was going-"

"I wasn't looking either," Seokjin admitted. "Kind of embarrassing for a cat to run into someone like that, but at least you seem fairly nice.” He knelt and gathered his things into a pile before helping Namjoon pick up his own stuff. "Here," he said, holding out Namjoon's things.

"Thanks," Namjoon said. He smiled, and Seokjin's blue eyes widened. Why did he look so surprised all of a sudden? Namjoon shrugged it off once Seokjin started smiling again. Maybe he just liked Namjoon's smile. That thought sent butterflies fluttering through Namjoon's body. He started to walk away in the direction of the bathroom, but Seokjin's fingers brushed his arm, stopping him in his tracks. He turned to see the other boy holding out a bottle of shampoo.

"You dropped this," he said. Namjoon nodded and took the bottle.

"Thanks. Oh, and about earlier? I believe you."

Seokjin suddenly looked so relieved, so grateful, so comforted, and it was the most beautiful thing. "Thank you," he breathed. "You're the only one." He wrapped an arm around Namjoon in a brief hug, and electric sparks shot through Namjoon's body. Before he knew it, though, Seokjin was pulling away and walking off down the hall. Namjoon stared after him just long enough to see him glance over his shoulder.

Namjoon realized, rather belatedly, that his raging teenage hormones combined with Seokjin's touch had left him half-hard, and he started worrying instantly. Had Seokjin noticed? Oh god, what if he'd noticed? With a sigh, he turned and hurried off to the bathroom.

_____

"I met that guy from the assembly earlier," he said when he returned to his dorm. "Seokjin. He doesn't seem crazy at all. He's actually really nice."  _And handsome_.

"Yeah, Seokjin seems like a really nice guy," Jackson replied. "If you want to be his friend, I won't stop you. Just don't listen when he starts freaking out like he did earlier. It'll just make you paranoid as all hell."

"How do you know he's not right?"

"Because this sort of thing happens all the time. From what I've seen, he freaks out and then nothing ever happens. Plus his friends are a unicorn and an imp. They should be able to sense actual problems like the ones Seokjin is always talking about, so since they don't ever seem to believe him I think he's only picking up on weather changes and earthquakes." 

"He seemed so afraid earlier, though," Namjoon argued. "Maybe something's really wrong this time."

Jackson shook his head. "No, Namjoon. Nothing's wrong. I'm telling you, don't believe Seokjin. I'm saying this because I'm concerned for your sanity."

Namjoon decided at that point that arguing was pointless, but he still believed Seokjin. 


End file.
